Cougar Town: Depending On You: Episode 3 Season 5—TV Review

Cougar Town may have lost its singing voice, but we love its new dancing feet. “Depending On You” saw three different kinds of Ellie. Each more terrible than the next—right down to her red dragon form courtesy of the crew’s newest member. Courteney Coxproved that when she’s in the director’s chair the laughs are at the ready.

The Players:

Episode Title: “Depending On You”

Jules’ people pleasing ways leave her and Grayson trapped at a wedding.

The Good:

Mini Sac: Wow, is Tom’s model Cul-de-sac complete with weirdly anatomically correct dolls for the crew disturbing? But that was the point wasn’t it? The writers are now banking on Tom’s slightly odd edge to work him into the group. Last night proved it’s working in spades. The mock up turned out to be an excellent device to cut to a different scene. All of Tom’s bizarre asides were mumbled perfection. Tom’s, “99 problems,” remark during Travis and Laurie’s first lovers spat was just as amazing as his, “He’ll never find them,” when Grayson suspects Tom may have planted cameras in their bedroom. Travis and Laurie’s first fight was quite natural. An offhand remark about the makeup on Laurie’s doll was the fodder. Since Tom fixed it by miming the simple apology, we’ll pass over his obsession with Jules but Grayson probably shouldn’t.

Weaksauce: Honestly, we were sure we’d seen the best of the discovery of Dog Travis’s puppies when Bobby and Andy did their amazing Maury Povich dance. Seriously, something that ridiculous and silly soothes the soul. These little jigs are really filling the hole the loss of Grayson’s spontaneous ditties left. However, Bobby and Andy’s quest to share ownership rapidly dissolved into a device to push Ellie back into the workforce. Of course they made her fail her first time at bat, but Ellie got the pups in the end. Watching her use her evil for a greater good was a pleasure, as is the idea that she might go back to being a lawyer. These kinds of developments need to happen so the characters can evolve and assist in the show’s longevity. Finding more ways to watch Ellie insult people is never a bad idea.

Compromise: Jules and Grayson’s plan to pop in to her creepy client’s wedding and escape to Grayson’s street hockey final didn’t work. Jules would rather bear witness to the union of a woman who stares at Grayson’s junk and a man who’s unaware of his fiancé’s huge baby bump than disappoint someone. Theirs was a normal marital spat punctuated with a bunch of funny markers along the way. For starters, Jules’s complimenting Grayson’s abs to abate his anger was brilliant, and a slight callback to Grayson’s beloved playboy shtick. Their people watching bit was pretty good. Still, Bonnie and Jerry’s awkward punch baby delivery first dance far eclipsed Jules and Grayson’s obvious make-up wedding toasts. Let no one judge Jules for falling for the cookie girls every time though. The best of us still have a couple boxes of Thin Mints in the freezer.

The Quotable:

“Why do they want us at their wedding anyway? I mean I’ve only met them like twice and both times Bonnie tried to eye molest me. [Laurie laughs.] It’s not funny; she stared at my snack pack like it was a magic eye poster.”— Grayson

“Travis, you should never accidentally hurt someone’s feelings. It should be done with intent and purpose. [Turns to Andy] Those shorts accentuate your baldness.”— Ellie

Overall:

“Depending On You” was the first perfect episode of the season. Building a better arc for these amazing characters is never a bad idea. So far we love where they’re taking Ellie and Tom. Everything flowed so harmoniously that we can only hope the show continues to build on this momentum. From now on the wives of the world should pronounce the word compromise the way Ellie does: while shaking her head no.